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(Model.) 3 sheets-sheet 1.

G. P. NASH. Combined Folding Got Bed, Litter and. Chair.-

No. 239,664. n Patented April 5,1881,

`N. PETERS, PnOTo-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

(Model.) Y '3 sheen-sheet 2.

C. P. NASH. .Y Combined Folding Got" Bed, Litter and Chair. No. 239,6'54.` PatentedApril 5,1881.

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PLPEYTERS, PHDTO-LITHDGRAFNER. wASHxNGTuN. D C4 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(Model.)

C. P. NASH. Combined Pnlding Got Bed, Litterand Chair'. No. 239,664. Patented April 5,1881.

UNITED STATES .PATENT OFFICE.

OALEBP. NASH, OF BRATTLEBOROUGH, VERMONT.

COMBINED FOLDING COT-BED, LITTER, CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 239,664, dated April 5, 1881.

' Application filed July e, leso. (Model.)

To all whom t may concern: Be it known that'l, OALEB P. NASH, of Brattleboroughdn the county of Windham and State of Vermont, have invented a Combined Folding Oot-Bed, Litter, and Chair; and I do hereby y will be hereinafter more fully described. Fig.

2 represents a side elevation of the cot-bed shown in'Fig. 1, also showing by dotted lines how it may be used as a litter, as will be hereinafter more fully described. Fig. 3 represents an end elevation of the head of the cot-bed. Fig. 4 represents my invention when adjusted for use as achair. Figs. 5, 6, alld'7 represen t, upon an enlarged'scale, different portions of my combined folding cot-bed, chair, and litter, which will be hereinafter more fully explained. Fig. 8 represents atop or plan view, upon the same scale as Figs. 1, 2, 3, alld 4, of my aforesaid combined folding cot-bed, litter, and chair when partially folded up, the covering H I being left off to more clearly illustrate the several parts 5 and Fig. 9 represents a side view of the same, showing the fralne entirely folded up, as will be hereinafter more fully described. 35

To enable those skilled in the `art to which my invention belongs to make and use the same, I will proceed to describe it nlore ill detail.

For the purpose of convenience I will first describe my invention as applied to a cot-bed, then as a litter, and last as a chair.

In the drawings, the parts marked A A' represent the side frames of the cot-bed, and B B' C C' the head alld foot frames of said bed, all of which partsare hinged together, as sllown in the drawings, the side frames, A A', being hinged by means of hinges a, so that they may be folded alld arranged as represented in Fig. 4, and the end frames, B B' C C', by means of hinges b and c, so that they may be folded in toward the center of thelbed, as hereinafter described.

The head of the bed is constructed and arranged so that it may be adjusted :and then 'secured at any angle desired to raise or lower 55 the head ill the following manner: Two side pieces, D D', are hinged to the tops of the parts A A by means of hinges d d', and to said side pieces, DD', are in turn hinged swinging arms or levers E E', by mealls of angular 6o plates c e', which are secured to the inner sides of the outer ends of said pieces D D'.

To the lower ends of swinging levers E E' are secured straps f f, which are provided with holes g, so that said straps may be held at any point upon pills h h secured to the tops of the parts B B'. Thus by this arrallgelnent it will be seen thatby drawingup or letting out straps ff levers E E' and side pieces, D D', may be raised or lowered, as desired, and then secured 7o at that pointJ by forcing the straps over pins h h through holes g g, as above stated. Said pieces D D' are prevented from moving out of their proper position laterally by means of inclined pills t i, which are secured in the tops of the parts A A and fit into holes formed in the under sides of said pieces D D.

I f desired to have the parts D D' rest rigidly upon the side pieces, A A, they may be turned back so as to have aflrm hearing upon 8o the upper edges of said frame-pieces, as represented by full lines, Figs. 2 and 7 of the drawings, the pins it keeping said side frames, D D', from springing laterally.

The corner posts or legs, F, of the bed are made adj ustable, being arrallged to swing upon rods or bolts G, which pass through the side frames, A A' A A', as represented in Figs. l

and 6of the drawings, and said standards orlegs F are arranged to be locked in two positions- 9o viz., when they are at right angles to the framework of the bed, (see Figs. 2, 5, and 7,) and when they are swung out longitudinally, as represented by dotted lines F', Figs. l, 2, and

5. Said locking operation is performed as follows: Locking-pieces 7a are arranged ill openin gs formed in the side of the bed-frame, which catch illto notches lo formed lin the circular parts of standards F, being forced forward so that they will catch and hold in said notches roo lo by means of spiral or other springs m, which are arranged in thesame opellings in which the locking-pieces la are arranged, as shown in Fig. 6.

v springs o.

Standards F may be unlocked, so that they can be turned, by pressing1 upon the ends p of locking-pieces lo and forcing the same back out of their respective notches, while the framework can be unlocked, so that it may be folded up, as hereinafter described, by forcing pins a out of their respective openings or receptacles by means of screws or pins g, which are secured to pins a, slotsr bein g formed in the end fram es, as represented in Fig. 3, to allow of such backward movement.

'The covering of the bed, which may be of canvas or any other suitable material, is secured in two sections, H and I, over the framework hereinbefore described, being tacked or otherwise secured to the sides of said framework, as represented at s of the drawings. Said covering H I is left oft' in Figs. 1,5, 6, and 7, for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the construction and arrangement of the several parts there shown.

J represents a leather strap,which is secured to standards F to prevent said standards from spreading. A similar safeguard may be provided for the standards at the foot of the bed, if desired. A similar strap, K, and hinged pieces L and M are secured to swinging levers lE E',for the purpose of holding said levers in position when the bed is converted into a chair, as hereinafter described.

Straps N N, which are secured to the inner sides ofthe parts A' and provided with holes t, and straps O O, secured to the parts A A and provided with hooks u, are for the purpose of holding said parts A and A' in the position shown in Fig. 4, where the bed is represented as having been converted into a chair.

The operation of converting the bed shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3 into a litter consists in simply unlocking standards or legs F, as before described, and turning the same so that they will extend outward longitudinally, as represented by dotted lines F', in which position they are locked by locking-pieces lo being forced into notches c, thereby forming convenient handles of standards F, by which to carry the litter so formed.

In converting the bed into a chair, as represented -in Fig. 4, the standards F are first swung out and locked in the same mann-er as for a litter. The frame and standards are then swung toward each other and arranged at a proper angle, as represented in said Fig. 4, and there secured in position from falling by passing the hooks u of straps O through the proper holes t in straps N. The side pieces, D D', are now swung up and the swinging levers E E' forward into the positions represented in Fig. 4, after which the hinged pieces L and M are adjusted so that they will be upon a straight line with each other, and a sliding collar, P, is passed over the end L' of the part L, thereby holding said part L and lpart M firmly together, which operation prepares the chair ready for use, the head part of the cotbed forming the seat when the same is used as a chair.

It will therefore be seen that by my invention either a bed, litter, or chair may be quickly and easily converted from one to the other, as occasion may require.

The several parts being hinged, as before described, they may be folded together in a very compact form for transportation, storage, or for any other purpose, in the following manner: l

Snpposing the parts to be adjusted for use as a cot-bed, as represented in Figs. l, 2, and 3, the first operation of folding up the same, as aforesaid, is to swing standards F in toward the center of the bed, so that they will be upon a line with side frames, A A', as represented in Fig. S. The end pieces, B B' and G U', are next folded in toward the center of the bed, as also represented in said Fig. 8, thereby bringing the side frames, A A' A A', toward each other, as shown. Said side frames, A A', are now folded over and against each other and the adj ustable head parts folded against the parts A, as represented in Fig. 9, when the operation is completed, thus, as will be seen, folding the several parts into a very compact form, as represented by said Fig. 9.

It' preferred, the ends may be made fixed or rigid. In this case the device could not be folded up quite so compactly, but nevertheless it could be folded into a very, convenient form.

The pieces D D' may be made straight, if preferred, on their inner sides, and may also be made to stand at a greater or,less angle with the horizon when resting upon the rails or side pieces, A A. The holding-straps, too, may be made to fasten in a different manner from that shown without departing from the principle of my invention, and I do not therefore limit my invention to having the end pieces hinged, or the special construction, so long as the principle of the invention is retained in the structure.

Having described my combined folding cotbed, litter, and chair, what I claim therein as new and of myinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. Thecombination of the side frames, hinged in the middle of their length, the end frames, hinged in the middle of theirlength, and hin ges b, common to both frames, with spring lockingpins a, inclosed within the end frames and adapted to enter the side frames, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination of the sidefram es, hinged in the middle of their length, standards or legs F, pivoted thereto and provided with notches '0, with spring locking-pieces 7c projecting from the side frame, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

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3. The combination of the sideframes, hinged in the middle of their length, side pieces, D D', and angular plates e e' With pivoted supports E E', straps f, and pins h, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. The combination of the side pieces, D D', pivoted supports E E', and pivoted lockingbraces L M with sliding collar P, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

` 5. The combination of the sideframes, hinged in the middle oftheirlength, endframes hinged thereto, side pieces,D D',.supports E E', legs F, and locking-braces L M With holding-straps N and hooks, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. The combination of side frames, hinged in the middle of their length, side pieces, D D',

.and steadying-pins t' with pivoted supports E E', strap K, adjnsting-strapf, and holdin g-pins frames,arest formed of side pieces, D D', hinged to the side frames, and braces or supports E E', provided with straps,substantially as and for the purpose described. l

CALEB P. NASH.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH STEEN, FRANK W. NICHOLS. 

